Hasta La Gadget!

Samsung Display and LG Display have let the lawsuits fly in a patent battle over LCD- and OLED-related technology, but today that is apparently all over. In separate statements to the press, Samsung said “we two should focus more on cementing our leadership in the global market by cooperation, instead of engaging in all-consuming patent disputes.” For its part, LG claimed that “what’s most important for both of us is upgrading our competitiveness globally.” All’s well that ends well we guess, and a faster rollout of new display technology is nothing we’ll argue against. The only possible issue? If they work together too well to achieve global market domination.

Filed under: Cellphones, Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Samsung, LG

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Source: Samsung Display (Korea)

DisplayLink’s been wringing all kinds of connectivity out of our computer’s USB ports for years, turning one connection into many. It should come as no surprise, then, that the company’s using its considerable compression expertise to send high-resolution 4K video through that very same pipe. Ideally, the system shoots video over USB 3.0, while still giving users the full connectivity options of any compatible DisplayLink device — but it can also function using USB 2.0, though the dynamically compensating data compression at work may cause some frames to drop.

We chatted with Displaylink’s Director of Marketing, Andy Davis, about the feature and he informed us that the new 4K capability comes courtesy of a chip design first revealed back at CES that, while upping the max resolution of transmitted video, has no trouble driving multiple displays. In theory,the number of 4K screens the chip can drive is only limited by the graphics drivers and video decoding capabilities of the computer it’s connected to. And, the new architecture also enables wireless streaming of 4K video using 802.11ad and can stream 1080p video over 802.11ac (4K over 802.11ac is in the works). We got to see a brief demo of the technology in action, and the video played back flawlessly over USB 3.0 for the few minutes we saw it work. Using 2.0, we noticed a slight flicker once or twice during playback, but the feed was still quite watchable. All in all, its a nice addition to the DisplayLink feature set. Now if they’d just let us know when we’ll actually see it implemented in something we can buy.

Filed under: Displays, Misc, HD

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TI’s DLP unit promised us brighter, sharper pico projectors when it unveiled its Tilt & Roll Pixel architecture at CES, and it now has the TRP-based silicon to make those projectors possible. The company’s new DLP Pico 0.2″ TRP chipset produces images with up to twice the brightness and resolution of its ancestor, even while it uses as little as half the power. The company hasn’t named hardware partners, but it notes that companies are already building products with the chip; it may not be long before we see the next generation of projector-equipped smartphones and tablets.

Filed under: Displays, Mobile

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Source: Texas Instruments

HP just announced a series of funky-looking all-in-ones, but unfortunately, that press shot up there doesn’t really do the unique design justice. Like most modern desktops, the Recline PC, as it’s called, has an articulating stand so you can use it in tabletop mode, at a near-flat angle. In this case, though, HP’s also incorporated a patent-pending hinge that allows you to use it with the touchscreen hanging off the table, close to your lap. (HP’s market research team found there are people who would prefer to use their all-in-one this way.) Et voilà! That’s why this thing is named the Recline: you can position it with the touchscreen half off the desk, and it won’t topple over because the PC’s center of gravity is halfway between the base and the display.

Available in 23- and 27-inch screen sizes, the Recline will be available with a mix of Haswell processors, up to 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of storage (sometimes paired with an SSD), a 1GB NVIDIA GT 730A GPU, Beats Audio and 1080p displays. All of the configurations will have 802.11ac WiFi and the Recline 27 in particular adds NFC. As an added bonus, you also get 50GB of free lifetime storage through Box.com. Additionally — because HP would do something like this — the company will also sell a special Beats-branded version with a red hinge (pictured above). That version will be available with a 23-inch screen only, and will feature slightly lesser specs (a Core i3 CPU and less RAM to start).%Gallery-slideshow77215%

Filed under: Desktops, Displays, HP

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You didn’t think Samsung was done announcing TVs at IFA yet, did you? This time, Samsung’s folded two of its new TV notions into one set, announcing the world’s first curved Ultra High Definition TVs. They don’t appear to be OLED (so our money’s on LED), but the new screens will be available in both 55-and 65-inch sizes. the company saying that differently-sized curved UHD TVs sets will come, “based on consumer response”, so if people are buying ’em big, these high-pixel curves could get bigger too — Samsung’s range of flat 4K TVs now stretches to a one-percenter-baiting 98 inches. At almost the same time, Sony has just taken the wraps off its own curved display, a 65-inch LED TV — but it’s not UHD. Hyun-suk Kim, executive VP of Visual Display, reckons the new TVs are another milestone for the company, and will “invigorate” the UHD market, one that’s only just taking its first steps.%Gallery-slideshow81798%

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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